Twenty minutes by boat from Stone Town, Changuu — Prison Island — holds a century-old colony of Aldabra giant tortoises and a snorkelling reef.
The tortoises
The oldest residents are well past 150 years. A keeper explains the colony, and you can feed them leaves by hand.
The island also keeps the ruins of a quarantine station and a short coral-rag trail to the old lighthouse.
Nakupenda sandbank
Nakupenda appears at low tide as a pure white bar of sand in turquoise water. Boats usually serve grilled fish and fruit there.
Because it only exists between tides, the departure time is set by the tide table, not by you — book a day or two ahead.
Practicalities
Bring reef-safe sunscreen, a hat and a dry bag; there is no shade on the sandbank at all.
Your driver can collect you at the harbour afterwards, which is far easier than finding a taxi with wet feet and a bag of snorkel gear.
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